In Feng Shui terms, windows are much more than architectural features of the house.

They are considered the “eyes” of the home and your personal windows to the world.

Windows are symbolic of clarity and your ability to see things clearly in life. Often they can be a mirror into your own perception and thinking (clear or not!).

When windows are clouded or dirty it can often reflect clouded thinking or an inability to make decisions and can energetically create a distorted view of whatever is going on around you.

By day, uncovered windows let us to see what’s going on outside, but others can’t easily see in. By night, uncovered windows allow others to see in, but we can’t see out. In this way windows have a powerful impact on our privacy and sense of security.

Windows are also openings where vital chi can easily flow in and out, impacting the space and occupants.

Furnishings near windows, things hung in the window and window coverings can all be used to balance and regulate the chi flow to keep it in the home to nourish the occupants longer.

Are you intrigued by Feng Shui but not sure how to apply it on your own to optimize your own space?Registration is now open for my new 8-week Feng Shui Master Class based off of the teachings in my book.

Participants will learn how to effortlessly align the energies of their home and apply individualized Feng Shui cures with confidence so their space and life feels better and flows better.

The front door to your home is the place that sets the energy for your entire home and life.

In Feng Shui, the front door is called the "mouth of chi.” It's where all vital life energy enters into your home. Symbolically it is also where all opportunity (aka chi) “comes knocking.”

In addition to being a physical transition space between outside and inside, the front door also represents the transitional space between your outside self (the public side of yourself that you share with others) and your inside self (your private life).

If your door is in the middle of the front of your house, it's in the Fulfilling Work/Career area of the bagua map and has an influence over that part of your life.

If you’re home isn’t easy to find, feels unapproachable or unwelcoming, or if your door is blocked, difficult to open or is in disrepair, then fresh, vital chi can't energize the home and potential opportunity could be passing you by!

Take a fresh look at your front door from the perspective of a guest and make sure it's easy to find and welcoming!

Coming Soon!

In April I'll be launching a NEW online group program - an 8-week intensive master class based off of the teachings in my book ~ Participants will learn how to effortlessly align the energies of their home and apply individualized feng shui cures with confidence so their space and life feels better and flows better ~ I'll be sharing all the details soon!

It might seem easy to ignore the clutter you keep, but it still has an effect on your health and overall well-being. Studies have shown that clutter in a space competes for your attention, making you feel overwhelmed, distracted and sometimes even hopeless. It plays a role in how you feel about yourself and your home. It's linked to increased stress, higher rates of depression, and a significant loss of productivity,

Why does the stuff in your environment have this impact? Here are a few reasons:

1) Clutter creates a physical block that prevents chi from flowing freely. Chi is an unseen, vital life-giving energy. When the chi can't circulate because of obstacles, it stagnates, making the space feel oppressive and stuck. Over time, you'll start to feel heavy and tired because you aren't receiving the benefits of fresh chi.

2) Clutter becomes a physical drain on your body, tugging at your attention and making you work harder to get everything done. Everywhere you look, there's something to see. Your body needs to take time to process all of that information even if you're not consciously giving it attention. This distraction slows you down, making you think and work more to get basic things done. (You can't prep dinner until you clear the counter, you can't find your keys until you dig through all the paperwork on the table...). It causes you to expend unnecessary energy.

3) Clutter acts as an energetic drain as well. This is the part I think many people overlook! In feng shui terms, everything is energy, even things that seem inanimate, like tables, chairs, and decor items. Imagine that everything in your surroundings is attached to you by an invisible cord. This cord is your emotional connection to the items, and it can get really heavy and thick when there's guilt, grief, obligation, or other deep feelings attached. Consider the energetic and emotional weight of all the stuff you're carrying around with you each day. No matter how organized it is, or how deeply you've hidden it, it's still taking up immense band width. It's depleting you on a subconscious level.

If you're feeling stressed and tired, or overwhelmed trying to keep up, it could have something to do with the stuff you're keeping! Take a look around and consider if the items you surround yourself with are necessary and useful, or if they're just an interference that depletes you.

De-cluttering may seem like a daunting task, but imagine letting go of all of the extra weight of your stuff. How much better would you feel? How much better would your home feel? How much easier would your day flow? What could you accomplish if you weren't physically and energetically drained by the things you keep? I can assure you that the benefits of curating your possessions can have a positive snowball effect that makes letting go easier and easier.

If you're ready to get some of your clutter out of the way, lightening your load and creating clarity and space to grow in the coming year, check out the Clutter Clearing Challenge that starts on Monday. Sign up today and join a motivated group following daily de-cluttering prompts in an online group format.

If you think you'd benefit from 1:1 support and accountability, Clutter Coaching may be a benefit for you. Schedule a no obligation discovery call with me to find out more.

If you're looking for clutter clearing inspiration, check out the facebook group "From Cluttered to Calm" for tips and tools to help you release and let go.

One of the best gifts I ever gave myself was the gift of de-cluttering!I used to walk into my house after being out and feel immediate overwhelm when I looked around. All the things that needed to be cared for would be staring right back at me. It was frustrating and disheartening because I felt like I could never get ahead of it all.Cleaning up the mess and re-organizing it all did! not! work!!! I quickly realized that rearranging wasn't the solution, the key was to letsome of it go. I deliberately reduced everything from collectibles, kitchen gadgets, linens, towels, toys, clothes, memorabilia, and so much more.As a homemaker, releasing that stuff meant less for me to take care of. I wasn't responsible for finding a home for it, keeping it clean, or putting it back in place after it was used. This translated into more time that I could spend with the people I love, doing what I wanted to do (not housekeeping!).As someone who works from home, having less stuff meant fewer distractions from my work. I had more time to focus on what was important, and I could get more done in less time because I wasn't looking for what I needed or trying to clear off a space to work.Today, it feels good when I walk in my house after being out. I immediately see the things I love because the rest of the distractions are gone. Most days I even feel like I could easily welcome unexpected company. It's not perfect, but its so much better than it used to be.Overall, our whole house feels calmer and more peaceful. That makes this mamma happy, so in turn the whole family is happier. That is the best gift of all!A big part of the work I do now is helping women everywhere dig themselves out from under all the stuff so they can find more time and space for themselves, to focus on the things they love.I've created The Clutter Clearing Challenge, an online group program, to help people jump start the de-cluttering journey. The next 10 day session begins on January 8th.Give yourself or a loved one the gift of The Clutter Clearing Challenge so you can start 2018 with a clean slate and plenty of clarity. It's only $54 to join. Find more details and sign up info HERE.

One client I’ve been working with this year has been making good progress, putting new systems in place and changing old habits to help her get ahead of her clutter. She’s worked hard, despite busy work schedules, lots of travel, and unexpected health issues. The benefits of less clutter have kept her on track with the work. She likes feeling accomplished, seeing a clear counter top each day, and finding what she needs with more ease.

But last week during our call something else clicked. She found a crystal clear ‘why’ and purpose for de-cluttering – her son. She shared how her son is moving home this month and that he has battled anxiety in the past. She wants him to feel comfortable when he returns. We’ve talked plenty about how clutter contributes to stress and anxiety, but instantly it all hit home. She could see how reducing the clutter at home would have big benefits for her son’s well-being.

Suddenly she was seeing everything in her surroundings in a whole new light, and she was all in for de-cluttering and maintaining daily routines with renewed determination! The bonus, of course, is that she’ll do the work to create ease for her son, yet she’ll reap the benefits of more calmness and better organization too. It’s a win-win for sure.

Do you struggle with clutter? Are you ready to tackle it once and for all? I’m accepting 3 new motivated Clutter Clearing clients in 2018 and I’m offering 20% off for those that sign up by December 29th. With 1:1 coaching, I can help you find your ‘why’, determine where to begin, learn to let go with ease, overcome the emotional attachment to your stuff, create organizational systems, change habits, and be more accountable to yourself and your goals.

To find out if this opportunity is a good fit for you, use the link below to schedule a free, no obligation discovery call with me. I’m happy to learn about your clutter challenges and answer any questions about the 1:1 support I provide.

It’s traditional to add some wood element to your home this time of year (Christmas tree, wreaths and lots of green colors) and fire element (Christmas lights, candles and lots of red colors). The wood element “feeds” the fire and makes it stronger. Too much fire energy can cause burnout and emotional outbursts (think stressful holidays!) …

Balance the addition of these elements by also adding touches of metal, water and earth to “control” the wood and fire. For metal try adding silver or gold candlesticks, metal decorations, or white, silver and gold elements in your color scheme. For water include crystal and glass decorations and include deep blues and blacks in your color scheme. For earth include pottery, ceramic decorations, and yellow hues.

Already done decorating? Pay attention to the way your home feels as the season progresses. Move or remove items if it starts to feel frenzied.

We just unpacked our boxes of holiday decorations and will be putting them out soon. This year, as part of keeping our holidays simple, I'm planning on a "less is more" approach to all the decorations. (Lets see if that holds true once I start opening boxes!) Here are some tips to consider as you decorate that will help your home feel festive, fresh and uplifting without being overwhelming or overstimulating.1) Take time when you're pulling out your decorations to reassess each piece. Do you still love it? Are the memories attached to it uplifting? Is it still in good condition? Do you have a place to honor it? If you answer no to any of these questions you may want to consider releasing the item. It may be tempting to just put it back in the box and not make a decision on it, but don't fall into that trap. it will continue to weigh you down even when it's packed away all year. If you aren't sure on an item, put it out with your decorations and pay attention to how you feel about it through the season. I guarantee you'll know what to do with it by the time you have to pack away the seasonal decor. 2) Instead of just adding holiday themed items to the mix and crowding all of your everyday decor out, put some things away for the season. This will help create space for you to truly honor the holiday pieces for the short time they're out. More importantly, it helps alleviate environmental clutter which can really impact how distracting and frantic the holiday season can feel. Less stimuli in your surrounding equals more calm throughout the season. 3) Be aware of the balance of elements as you add and subtract decor items. This is especially important as you arrange the focal points of your decor like a mantel, the tree or a dining table. It will look and feel better if all elements are represented: water, wood, earth, fire and metal. Be deliberate about how you arrange your festive spaces and the whole holiday season will be more harmonious. It may even be calmer and more enjoyable for everyone!

Special Offer:

I'm sending out three bonus holiday themed de-cluttering challenges to anyone that signs up for the January session of the Clutter Clearing Challenge by December 1st. Plus there's special pricing of only $45 until then too. It makes a great gift for yourself or a loved one!

Bathrooms naturally have downward flowing energy. Without adjustments vital chi will escape right down the drains. Different parts of your life will be impacted depending on where your bathrooms are: Wealth flows away, Relationships start tanking, your Health gets drained, or your Reputation gets flushed!

Maybe it's not that dramatic but you can struggle much more than needed in different life areas if you haven't made corrections to your bathroom. Luckily, most of the adjustments that counter this downward flow are fairly easy and the space will feel better once you've made them!

Here are a few adjustments to make to prevent this loss of chi:

1) Fix any leaks or clogs - Leaky pipes let all that chi drip away, and overtime can create a feeling of being "drained". Clogged pipes are another problem, creating an energetic block that causes tension and back ups. Make sure your pipes are all in good working order to support healthy chi flow.

2) De-clutter - Purge what you don't use/need to open up space in all the bathroom nooks so that chi has room to flow freely.

3) Add the Wood element - A great way to counteract the downward flow of energy from the drains is to add the energy of things that grow up. Wood energy is just the thing. Bring it into the space by adding plants, silk plants, images of plants, items made of wood, items that are striped or have a leafy/vine pattern on them, or the colors of green and blue.

4) Add enhancements - lift up the energy of the bathroom with enhancements like good lighting, nice fixtures, fine linens, and self care touches like candles, lotions, and aromatherapy. Creating a sacred space for daily rituals is a bonus to the health and vitality of the whole home and all it's occupants.

5) Use the bagua map to determine which life area is being effected by the bathroom so you can be aware and empowered to head off any negative implications.

Run, don't walk to your nearest bathroom and put these adjustments into place before the New Year!

And speaking of the New Year ... give yourself the gift of a clean slate and increase clarity in 2018 with one or both of these great offerings:

CLUTTER CLEARING CHALLENGE New Date! Starts January 8th: I had so many people tell me that they wanted to participate but December is too busy for them, so I've moved the start date. Join by December 1st for only $45 (regularly $54) AND receive 3 BONUS challenges in December geared to help you simplify your holiday. SIGN UP HERE

DIGITAL DE-CLUTTERING CHALLENGEClean out and organize all of your digital files: emails, mailing lists, apps, files, folders, photos, so you can spend less time looking for stuff or recreating work you’ve already done and more time focused on what’s most important. This is a 21 day online program that beginsJanuary 22nd. Head into 2018 with a clean digital slate! It's feng shui for all of your devices... Join by December 1st for only $63 (regularly $72)SIGN UP HERE

Last week in my post 5 Feng Shui Tips to Keep Your Space Fresh I suggested switching out family photos every so often so that you are bringing current energy into your space. Since photos of ancestors can’t be updated, here are some tips to help you display photos of family members that have passed while keeping the energy of your space up:

Honor the photos! There’s no chance to refresh the images of family members who have passed, but you can change out the frames periodically and rearrange to switch the energy up. If they’re sitting on a dusty shelf, hardly being noticed anymore then the energy in the space is being affected! The key is to honor and appreciate the photos in the same way you would honor the people when they were living. Pull the photos down, talk about the people in them with your kids, this helps keep the relationship alive even though they have passed.

Use the bagua map to help you deliberately place photos:The Roots/Family area (middle left) is all about ancestral energy that gives you a foundation to grow from. Placing the photos in this area solidifies and honors the base that your ancestors provided you.

The Wisdom/Guidance (front left) is all about calling in knowledge and support from higher places. If you want to stay connected and get guidance from those who have passed, place the photos in this area. They’ll be your guardian angels watching over all you do.

Let the images provide comfort:Although I would avoid images of any family members in an adult’s bedroom (check out my article “Whose watching you?” to understand why), it would be okay in most cases to put some family and ancestor pictures in a child’s bedroom. These help to remind the little ones that they are loved, supported and watched over always. It also helps them feel like they aren’t alone in an empty room.

Does this article have you thinking of where and how you keep these photos? Tell me how in the comments section.

Get a Free 1:1 Strategy Session:

The next session of the Clutter Clearing Challenge – a 10 day online group program - starts December 4th. You can join for only $54 http://bit.ly/2gZpSxh

The DIGITAL Clutter Clearing Challenge – a 21 day online group program – launches January 22nd. You can register now for only $72 http://bit.ly/2hhmCPt

Join both Challenges by Sunday, November 12th and you’ll also get a 1:1 Strategy Session by phone with me where we can solve your specific clutter challenges, spin some ideas to make one of your rooms more balanced, or create a plan for any difficult life area like wealth, love, health, or career. You can sign up via the links above, or use this convenient link to sign up for both programs in one simple transaction: http://bit.ly/2zxhrSM

When’s the last time you switched things up in your house? I’m not talking about new furniture and décor, but just simply checking in with what’s there and trying something new for a while …

If you’ve ever been physically put out of commission by an injury or illness, you’re probably aware that resting and staying in one place for a while eventually starts to hurt. At first the respite feels good, but over time your body gets sore and achy. You begin to feel tired and sluggish even without any exertion. You don’t even realize how immobile you’ve become, until you actually start moving again. When you finally begin to stretch and exercise again, you realize how stiff and stuck everything has become.

The same thing happens in your house when everything stays the same. The space can feel comfortable and familiar, but eventually the energy gets slow and sluggish. With little notice, the space no longer lifts you up. Over time everyone in the space can become tired and disinterested. Not only have your surrounding stopped nourishing you, but it starts to weigh you down.

This is why renovating or redecorating can feel so good, because it shakes up that stuck energy that hasn’t been moving. But these kind of big changes are not possible all the time, so it’s important to find ways to create consistent movement and occasional updates that will keep the space vital. Here are a few ways to keep your space fresh and nourishing:

Add a fountain or a kinetic sculpture – these bring movement and flow into any space

Play music and dance around often for bonus points – the vibrations will shake things up

Move existing furniture into a new layout – to create a new flow through the rooms

Change up décor monthly or seasonally in addition to big holidays – to bring in fresh energy

Replace photos with recent images or change out the artwork – to bring the energy up-to-date

Keeping things the same old way can impact you, your ability to move forward, your day to day inspiration and creativity and so much more. Simple, consistent changes in your space will help keep the energy vibrant, energizing every aspect of your surroundings and your life.

Give these ideas a try and let me know how good it feels to switch things up.

Get a Free Strategy Session By Phone

For a limited time, when you sign up for BOTH Clutter Challenges - the December Clutter Clearing Challenge and the January Digital De-Cluttering Challenge, you'll alsoget a sixty minute 1:1 Strategy Session with me by phone!In this powerful call, we'll spin some ideas to make one of your rooms more balanced, welcoming and in better alignment with what you want, or we can address a challenging life area like wealth, love, health, career, etc and work up a plan to create shift in that area for you.Sign up using the links below by November 12th to be eligible for this bonus.

CLUTTER CLEARING CHALLENGE - HOLIDAY STYLEI’m offering another round of the Clutter Clearing Challenge beginning December 4th. One final push at releasing what we don’t need to make room for the avalanche of gifts and guests during the holidays. Give yourself the gift of a de-cluttered space this season, so you can truly enjoy your home, your company and all of your celebrations! Only $54.

DIGITAL DECLUTTERING CHALLENGE!!Clean out and organize all of your digital files: emails, mailing lists, apps, files, folders, photos, so you can spend less time looking for stuff or recreating work you’ve already done and more time focused on what’s most important. This is a 21 day online program that beginsJanuary 22nd. Head into 2018 with a clean digital slate!

sign up here:

Author

Kerri is the founder of Feng Shui Pathways (formerly Holistic Living Resources). Using a combination of tools including Feng Shui, Aromatherapy, Coaching, Organizing and Space Clearing she works with clients to create spaces that are comfortable, functional, supportive and inspiring. Kerri offers workshops and is available for speaking engagements on the topic of Feng Shui.